May 1735 (2)
= Le Mercure Gallant - May 1735 = Weather this month *Mild. Events Of Importte Pertaining To Recent Matters Algiers *Dey Mustapha of Algiers expressed his shock at being threatened by Sultan Suleyman’s henchmen. “I am not an enemy of Suleyman, and recognise him as Sultan in Rumelia, and will recognise him as overlord of the Ottoman Empire once the civil war is done, as Allah’s wills it,” he said, with a touch of defiance in his voice. Rufina *At the village of Rufina a few miles east of Florence a Spanish wool merchant had his goods stolen by what appeared to be a gang made up of local people! They threatened his life with impunity, and then sent him on his way having made him even give them the rings which had adorned his fingers. Back in Florence news of this outrage caused an outcry on the part of those with trade concerns in Tuscany, who are offended that the Spanish authorities have yet to put a stop to such insults! Kayseri *Across the flat Anatolian Plateau the banner of Sultan Suleyman was displayed at the head of a great army which has moved to a position outside the city of Kayseri beside the lower slopes of the jagged volcano Erciyas Dagi. From the black-stone citadel of the city can be seen the standard of Sultan Salim; it appears that at last this may be the showdown which decides the Ottoman Civil War, for now present in the same place are the two contending claimants to the entire Ottoman Empire! The strength of the approaching Ottoman Rumelians could be observed from the Black Citadel; Sultan Suleyman has brought with him 33 battalions, or ortas, of infantry, 56 squadrons of cavalry, and 25 artillery batteries, along with a large trayne of 11 mortar batteries for siege work. The Rumelians have made camp around Kayseri, preparatory to beginning the siege proper and cutting the city off from the outside world. They were reinforced a few days later by Temruk Khyan, Bey of Karesi at the head of 30 squadrons of cavalry and a light artillery battery. Once they were here the entire Rumelian army pulled back to join them to the west of the city. London *Mister John Harrison, the head of the Southampton Department of the English Admiralty, has attended the royal palace having been told that he can expect to be given special recognition. However, in the event he went away disappointed, nothing having happened to justify his expectation and enthusiasm. Brussels *Responding the Dutch proposal that the Republic of Flanders become a vassal of Prussia, Burgher Pasteur objected that this would not be an appropriate measure. “The Republic is in the process of building up its army in order to better protect our domestic security,” he explained. Vienna *The new Spanish ambassador to Vienna requested a private audience with Archduchess Maria Theresa, who being intrigued by the request immediately agreed to it. The two are known to have met. Nieuport & Dunkirk *The Spanish forces in Nieuport have quietly marched away in good order and retired to Dunkirk over the border in France, thus vacating the territory of the Republic of Flanders. Prussia’s Nord Armee has also left Nieuport, in their case marching eastwards into the interior of Flanders. Leghorn *Ten squadrons of the Piombino Dragoons of the Spanish Army have spread out outside Leghorn, which they are blockading on the landward side. A messenger was sent in under a flag of truce to speak to the rebels in Leghorn. He was taken to meet several dozen armed Tuscan irregulars who claimed to be the ‘Provisional Medici Ruling Council of Leghorn’. The messenger, an officer of the Piombino Dragoons, told them to surrender and then they will be treated fairly. He was cussed and booed at for saying as much, and a few of the men made a joke of what he said, pretending to be hung by their own hands. He became angry at this rabbles’ impudence, and told them that if they did not surrender they would face the full wrath of the King of Spain! He added that they would be treated well by His Most Catholic Majesty as loyal subjects of the crown unless they prove to be otherwise! He was told to leave, and several of the rebels fired muskets into the air to encourage him to hasten his departure, which certainly worked! Ostend *England’s 2nd Corps of the Army of Thames has marched by columns from Nieuport to Ostend, where General Jansens and the Dutch forces present stayed passive while the English entered and officers ensured the transfer of civic power from Dutch to Flemish control happened. Canton *Lin Liang, the Mandarin in charge of Kwantung China’s trade, sat in comfort in the House of Trade and had Josiah Smith brought before him. Now Josiah is an English ex-porcelain dealer who was made a eunuch and since September 1730 has served Lin Liang as door steward to the House of Trade (he has been chained by the neck to the doorway). “Foolish man,” Liang said to him, “who traded without permission, you were caught and deserved death by our laws; it was only that Lord Fong knows mercy that you lived and were to be kept at my door as a warning to others. That is to change, his mercy is at an end. You are ruled by a wise and civilised man, the King of the English and Scottish men known as Frederick Georg. His actions and those of his servants in regard of good General Tao Hanzhang mean you are free and Lord Fong also give you £5,000 from his own wealth. Praise whatever manner of god you worship, for you are twice blessed that you are ruled by a wise man and this land ruled by a generous one!” Malacca *Admiral Hoy sent a message ashore to Malacca and warned that if it does not submit to his previous request with the hour he will, with great distress, order his ships to bombard and they will continue to do so until until it agrees to become a colony of the Chinese Empire. He said in this message that he begged them to do as he asks for he does not desire to be forced to hurt those who are blameless for the actions of their foolish master. The message also claimed that Malacca was once an outpost of the Chinese Empire and if it were once again then surely glory will return to Malacca. The town council argued that the Republic would send help and they should ‘brave it out’, but the people of Malacca got wind of this and had a different agenda; they stormed the town council meeting and told the messenger that Malacca had surrendered (and so it did; Malacca is now under Chinese rule). El Escorial *King Ferdinand of Spain, by royal decree has graciously made the following awards: Order of the Golden Fleece. Spain’s highest award, conferred on Catholics only: HMCM King Ferdinand, His Holiness Pope Benedict XIII, King Louis of Naples & the Two Sicilies, HRH Prince Charles of Wales & Duke of Naples. Order of Philippe. An award for foreign royals and nobles (named after King Philippe), of four classes: HMCM King Ferdinand, Colonel Sir Myles Wallace ‘Duke of Cadiz’. Military Order of Santiago. A military order, similar to the Knights Templar. Open to all: HMCM King Ferdinand, King Louis of Naples & the Two Sicilies, HRH Prince Charles of Wales & Duke of Naples. Military Order of Calatrava. Open to army officers only: HMCM King Ferdinand, King Louis of Naples & the Two Sicilies, HRH Prince Charles of Wales & Duke of Naples, General Primo de Rivera. Military Order of Alcantara. Open to naval officers only: HMCM King Ferdinand, King Louis of Naples & the Two Sicilies, HRH Prince Charles of Wales & Duke of Naples, Admiral Francesco de Castanos. Sinai Desert *Ahmed Kruppa is traversing the Sinai and riding eastwards with a Rumelian cavalry host of 14 squadrons and a light artillery battery. He is aware that he is being watched by Syrian camel-riding scouts. Alexandria *Ali Jemel’s fleet sailed from its station off Tripoli and appeared off Alexandria. His ships then proceeded to bombard the Egyptian port, demolishing repairs to the old fortifications and causing such work to be abandoned. Then, after a couple of feints using the fleet rowing boats packed with troops, the Rumelian soldiers were landed ashore under the cover of the naval cannonade. They gained a foothold on the waterfront without fighting any Janissaries (who if present must be holding back to avoid the attention of the naval guns). In this manner four battalions of Rumelian Nizam infantry were put ashore. Angora *Prussia’s Armee West has left Angora and is marching westwards. Berlin *More schools are being opened in the Kaiser’s lands, bringing the total of Lutheran approved schools to 440, and for the first time the state is supporting new Catholic schools, of which forty have been opened. *The Kaiser has continued his early morning walks in Berlin, although while chatting to several guards and gunners he was candidly told that they didn’t much to the state supporting Catholic schools. People being Much Admired by the Best in Société *Russia *France *Prussia *Kwantung China *Moghul India *Hungary *Blackbeard *Ottoman Rumelia *United Provinces *England *Spain *Sweden Shipping Lists: Being a Reporte on Knowne Shipping Movements *An English convoy of ten cruisers and 35 auxiliaries has reached Ostend. *The Prussian-flagged English Navy ships at Southampton have set sail. *Vitus Bering's ship has tried to take shelter at the northwestern tip of South Georgia, or St. *Georgia, Island, at a town called St. Godric. After finding this obscure Hanoverian settlement, Bering was horrified to see the town has no proper port and offers precious little protection for his expedition's ship! He and his intrepid fellow explorers have however been made most welcome by Mayor Winterhalter and the other townsfolk, who rarely see outsiders these days! Lloyds Lists: Being a Reporte on Knowne Shipping Losses from Causes Unknowne or Knowne *None. Ambassadorial Appointments *The Dutch and Swedish embassies have been closed down by their hosts in Kwantung China "since they are no longer active establishments". Trade Missions Opened *By the United Provinces in Amsterdam. *The Dutch Trade Mission Office in Nagasaki has been closed down. *The State Bank of Officers & Gentlemen has opened branches in Agra and Toulon. Automatically parsed by LGDRParser v1.0 Category:Game 2